Dungeon Siege II – Skills

In the original game, you chose one – or multiple – of the four classes in the game (melee, ranged, nature magic, and combat magic) and went with that. This created a bit of a lack of diversity among peoples’ characters, especially when taking into account that a multi-classed character had a very hard time standing up to a ‘pure’ one. While this unbalance is one thing Gas Powered Games has said they are working on fixing to the sequel, we have also been promised increased diversity in the form of skills.

“We’re keeping the same four classes as the first Dungeon Siege. Fighter, Ranger, Nature Mage, and Combat Mage – although this time around, there are multiple roles that each of these characters that you can be depending on how you spend your skill points. So my nature mage who specializes in summoning may be completely different from your nature mage who specializes in ice magic.” – Kevin Lambert, Lead Designer on Dungeon Siege II

For each character class there are various skills available to chose from, with up to 10 points possible of being placed on each.

What skills you choose will greatly affect the way you play. One example of this is that to equip a shield, a character must learn the “Barricade” ability, which it a bit into the melee fighter’s skill tree. Another example is that ranged characters, if they have knowledge in the right skills, can harvest plants along the path and make health and mana potions.

Skills

Skills screen with melee tab selected.

Here are a few of all the various skills in detail:

Barricade [Melee]

The training of Snowbrook Haven elite knights teaches them to wield their shields with unparalleled strength and tenacity . Phanlanxes of knights can turn away nearly any attack.

Critical Shot [Ranged]

Skilled adventurers practice a form of battle meditation, focusing their mind and allowing them to occasionally strike vulnerable areas, dealing twice-normal damage with any ranged weapon.

Natural Bond [Nature Magic]

Dryads share an instinctive affinity with all living things. They can cast spells using less of their mana by drawing from the life force of their surroundings. They have also learned to create mana potions from certain plants.

Devastation [Combat Magic]

Combat Magic is an exercise in precision. The more accurate a mage’s motions and the more practiced his incantations, the more energy and destruction he can channel into his attacks.